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Hi, I have some questions about different things concerning lights of my DW :

- under the second chance insert, instead of a 906 flasher like described in the manual I have two sockets for 555 bulbs, it works but I'm not sure this is really a good thing. Won't the bulbs last far less ?
Do some of you have the same thing on your DW or do you have the supposed 906 socket ?

- the mini playfield flasher is not working, i've checked the wires around and it seems ok. Can the associated transistor (Q42) be faulty, knowing that the coupled doc 7 flasher works fine ?
I've uploaded a capture of the manual line.

- how come one know how many GI lamps there are and where they are placed ?
Are there general rules concerning GI (like 6 per each power circuit that can be checked in test mode, or something like that), or do I have to follow the wiring to see what's part of each GI circuit and where a lamp could be dead ?

- during the attract mode sometimes the far right extra ball stays off while the three other blink normally. Then it comes back to normal during some other phases of the attract mode.
Does your DW behave this way too ?
I've also seen a non-working light on the 5x3 panel under the MPF (the middle top one) during a full game, and then when I went in test mode to test it, it started as it was dead and suddenly it lit to function normally again in the following games.
Weird, isn't it ? Could nearly-dead bulbs do this ?

- what does the F109 fuse controls ? Mine was out, I changed it and in the same time replaced some dead bulbs and flashers, now it seems to me that I had no flasher at all working before during game (but ok in test mode). Can it be F109 related ?

Second Chance Flasher
906s belong in the Second Chance insert. 555 sockets look similar to 906s, but the 906s are a bit bigger - are you sure 906s don't fit? Flasher circuits operate at a higher voltage than controlled lamps, so only flasher bulbs (906, etc.) should be installed in flasher sockets.

Mini Playfield Flasher
Have you tried swapping out the bulb? Also make sure all the wires below the playfield are connected to the mini playfield. I've missed one or two from time to time and have had this happen to me. The Mini Playfield Flasher and Doctor 7 flasher bulbs are both driving by the same transistor (Q42), so it's probably not the problem. Most likely a bad bulb, connection, or wiring issue.

GI lighting
You can tell which "string" of GI bulbs are where (left, right, etc.) in the Operator Test menu, go through the GI tests and it'll illuminate (ha!) which are which.

Intermittent Controlled Lamps
The 555 sockets that "secure" to the lamp boards under the playfield wear out over time. The contacts get dirty, bent, etc. and that can prevent a good connection with the lamp, this is probably your issue. Remove the sockets for the lamp board, remove the bulb from the socket, clean the pins and bend them so they make better contact to the wires on the lamp base.

Fuse F109
F109 is for GI string #2. Also keep in mind that flashers are disabled when the coin door is open, this may have been why it was working during gameplay (coin door probably closed) and not in the test mode (coin door open).

You're totally right, I've tried putting some 906 in the two sockets and they fit. Until then i didn't notice the base of 555 and 906 was the same. I've checked some places on the machine and sockets are also the same between 555 and 906.
And since I bought the game with two 555 bulbs (one burnt) in these 2 sockets and the manual says that there is only one 906 below this insert, I thought it was some kind of fix from the previous owner.
I'll see if it works next time I power the game on (at this time there are wires hanging from elsewhere...).

I will check the wiring next time I dismount the mini, I'm about to receive cliffy's for it and must change an opto led too.
Under the playfield there seems to be no hanging wire and the 555 with yellow cap next to the flasher, which is powered from the same wire harness, works fine.

My question was more : how can I know how many bulbs there are per string (fixed number or may vary ?) and where they are located on the playfield, as it is not described in the manual, in order to check everything is ok.

Strange, I didn't notice a whole string of GI out before replacing the fuse. For the flashers, I have the feeling they were not working during the game. In test mode (so with door open), they work fine and so do the coils, there is no interlock cutting power to these components (compared to my Flintstones where there is one and I must press on it when I test the flashers and coils).
There is a button activated when closing the door but I don't know exactly which high power cicuit it cuts.

Freds13:
Go into the Test Menu, select General Illumination (Test #6), then step through all these tests, which will include tests of each individual GI string. This will show you which bulbs are connected to which string. I know of no standard bulb count for GI strings, depends on the game layout and total bulb load per GI circuit.

No, I meant that I can test the flashers (and coils) without holding the coin door switch with my hand or a tool.
I've looked at the switch itself with a multimeter, it acts normally open/closed. It is wired on the coin door interface board on J6-1 and J6-6.
I've just seen in the manual the following note : "For Belgium, France, Finland, Sweden and England use A-14689-1 Coin Door Interface Board", maybe there is a specificity with that.
Anyways when I open the door there is no warning shown on the dmd or any sound...
Maybe there is some dip switch settings for this ?

Adalogue, I've just tested the 906 flashers in the second chance insert and it works like a charm !

In the GI tests, there is one set that lights nothing, I don't have the english label as my game is in french but it's the one before the set begining with "1/3...".

If there are any burnt bulbs in a GI string, how can I know ? Is the whole string off then or do I have to follow the string to check if something is burnt ?

I could have sworn DW had the coin door switch, but upon further research, it looks like this was added during production of Twilight Zone, which was after DW.

Mystery solved, then
There are not two switches activated by the door but just one (on my Flintstones I've got two and must press the top one when testing flashers and coils).
What is this solo switch function then ?

If there are any burnt bulbs in a GI string, how can I know ? Is the whole string off then or do I have to follow the string to check if something is burnt ?

It's not like Christmas lights where if one is out they are all out, they are wired in parallel. If one bulb is bad, it will be the only one that goes out, it doesn't take down the whole string. If a whole string is down, check for voltage at the sockets, then the connector, then the header to track down your problem - or find the blown fuse.

It's not like Christmas lights where if one is out they are all out, they are wired in parallel.

Ok I thought so, it would be too painfull to maintain otherwise. I'm gonna check this non-working GI string and see what goes wrong.
So the only way to know if you have a GI bulb burnt is to know where they are all placed and not confusing them with controlled lamps... that takes quite a fingertip knowledge of your game (for complex playfield layouts). Easy to forget one or two.

Just tested the tensions on J-121.
For the White-Violet/Violet, White-Green/Green, White-Yellow/Yellow and White-Brown/Brown I've got around 5.1-5.4VAC.
For the White-Orange/Orange, I've got nothing, 0.

F109 probably blew again and you've got a short somewhere. You could try removing the connector from the header and measure the resistance of each GI string, to see if the one that's problematic is shorted or has less resistance than the others (which draws more current, blowing the fuse).

Well, thanks a lot for your help, I indeed need to rebuild the connector because I think the problem comes from here.
I checked the F109 and it was not blown, so I followed the wiring (in fact this orange GI string powers the lights from the top half of the backglass), checked everything and it seemed fine.
Then I removed the connector and tested for continuity in the 5 strings and resistance, everything was good, around 1.1ohm on each one.
I replugged the connector firmly and powered up the machine to do a new voltage test and... magic, it works again... all the lights are ok, the test is ok in the test menu, the voltage on the orange string is 5.2V on the J120.
Great but I feel like I missed something.
My guess is by wiggling the connector that changed something, so I really need to replace it.

What are the best choices for a replacement of these connectors ?

I will also have to build a secondary power connector, I say build and not rebuild because there is no more connector, just soldered wires, ugly ! (picture added) If you can post a picture of yours to see how it's wired (wire loops or something...), thanks !

I checked again my mini playfield flasher problem and it turns out the flasher in there was really really weak. I already tried with a new bulb but must have done something wrong, cause in fact it should have worked with the new bulb.
Now it's working fine, this problem was in fact not really a problem, sorry for that !

So my remaining points are (not really related to the original thread) :
- do your DW warns and sounds when coin door is opened ?
- what does my coin door switch controls ?

Maybe I'll make a location map of the GI bulbs from the different GI strings. Will post it here.

Here's a first good step for the playfield and the three GI strings.
Important : note that the picture is mirrored, so you should look at it as if you were looking at the top of the playfield, not the underside !
I have three locations left to verify.

gi_playfield.jpg (Click image to enlarge)

I've made a lot of notes like string number, related fuse, related transistor, etc.
I will post this, the picture for the insert panel and the updated picture of the playfield in another post in order for other DW owners to find it easily.